Tube making machine



Nov. 10, 1931 1-. FREDERICK 1,331,062

TUBE MAKING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1927 jwvs/vrofi? Lou/s TFREDE /CK glam/v F @070 Patented Nov. 10, 193i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC LOUIS T. FREDERICK, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BYMESNE ASSIGNMENTS; T0 CONTINENTAL DIAMOND FIBRE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, DELAWARE, A COR- PORATION OF DELAWARE rmm mme momma Application filed March 11, 1927. Serial No. 174,687.

' poses. The general object of the invention.

is to provide a machine by which the output of an operator may be increased, the physlcal labor involved decreased both in amount and in tensity, and the pressure on the work increased to almost any desired extent with practically no increase in the amount of force which must be exerted by the operator. Details of construction'by which these general characteristics are obtained will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanyin drawings which show an embodiment of t e invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine in the act of winding a mica sheet upon the mandrel to produce a tube.

Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation on the line 22 Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the head portion of the machine showing the toggle arms in a different position from the one shown .in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 but shows the parts in still a. difl'erent position.

Like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views.

In the illustrated form there is a work table 10 supported upon legs 12of any suitable construction. At the head of the table there is a stationary guide ,roller 14. At the foot mains in fixed position but for purposes of adjustment its axle 18 is su ported in bars 20 extending horizontally bac ward and hav ing oblique notches 22 spaced at intervals for receivin the axle.

An'en less belt 24 of heavy canvas or othe suitable material passes around the rollers 14, 16 and is supported in part upon the table to as illustrated in Figure 1. I

ear the bottom of the main frame there is a subframe having side arms 26 having stationary pivots 28 near the lower end of the back legs 12. Between their ends these arms there is another, 16, which in practice resupport an axle30 carrying a guide roller This is in' reality a tensioning roller for 1t over-rides the belt as illustrated and is mamachine, as will appear. Its positioning is controlled by a'treadle 34 secured to the forward end of the arms 26 in convenient positlon to be reached b the foot of the operator.

Near the head end of the table, one on either side, are two standards 36. By preference they have vertical slots 38 for accommodating clamp screws 40'by which they may be vert1ca lly adjusted. According to the illustrated design the standardsare arched to project over the body of the table and support stationary pivots 42 from which are suspended arms 44 which, as will hereinafter appear, possess certain characteristics of a toggle.

At the free end these arms carry a roller 46 which engages belt 24 and for identification may be referred to as the squeezing roller. Another roller 48, which maybe termed the reacting roller is arranged parallel to roller 46 and is supported by said arms at a point nearer the fulcra 42. A mandrel 50 is used with the machine and 1s providedwith a crank 52 by which itmay be rotated as well as moved bodily. The mandrel is not attached to the table but comprises a cylindrical roller which is supported upon the table above the belt.

In practice the operator first releases the treadle 34 so that the belt will be comparatively loose.- He then lays a sheet of the material 54 upon the belt a slight distance behind the reacting roller 48, after first having applied shellac or other binder to the material in any usual or preferred manner. At this time the toggle arms 44 hang freely suspended as shown in Figure 3, the belt passing over thereacting roller 48, and the squeezing roller 46 being free to swing. The operator then, after wrapping the forward edge of the sheet of mica plate once around the mandrel to start the winding of the tube in the ordinary manner, presses .t e mandrel down onto the table top and at the same time moves it forward toward the head end of the table as illustrated in Figure 4. This forms a bight in the belt as shown, the roller 46 yielding as the mandrel advances and finally dropping down behind it after the mandrel has passed. The operator then presses upon treadle 34 which tightens the belt and pulls the mandrel backward again toward the rear of the machine, thus forcing the toggle arms 44 5 to straighten downward and move the squeezing roller 46 down toward the table top as shown in Figure 1. This straightening of the arms is analogous to a toggle action, and

the pressure will of course increase in propor- 1 tion as the squeezing roller approaches the table. As the reacting roller 48 is in the present form also mounted on the toggle arms, it also moves backward slightly as the squeezing roller moves backward, thus still further increasing the tightening action. When the desired tension has been attained the operator rotates crank 52 which winds up the work sheet 54 upon the mandrel, thus producing a tube. When the work sheet is entirely wound the operator releases the treadle 34 and reverses the program of manipulation of the mandrel, thus freeing it from the machine.

From the above description it will be evident that the operators labor is greatly reduced and his output also increased. It is possible for him to gain a very high. intensity of pressure without much effort on account of the toggle effect of the head frame or toggle arms 44. After the mandrel is locked in place, as shown in Figure 1, it is automatically prevented from displacement and all the operator has to do is to rotate the crank. There is no dan er that the mandrel can become slightly ob ique, which would thus produce a spiral wra ping of the work sheet and an imperfect tu e. For these reasons the labor and watchfulness required of the operator are greatly reduced, and his output correspondingly increased.

I do not herein claim the novel method of making tubes, since the same forms the subject matter of a co-pendin application, Serial Number 462,556, filed une 20, 1930.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 4 1. A tube making machine having a table, a belt supported on the surface of the table and carrying the work, a mandrel arrangeable 50 within a bight in said belt, ide rollers for the belt, and a pair of pivote toggle arms for supporting one of the rollers to swing above the table from an altitude greater than the diameter of the mandrel to another position less than the diameter of the mandrel whereby to squeeze the mandrel Within the bight in proportion as the last mentioned roller approaches the table.

2. A tube making machine having a table,

60 an endless belt supported in part by the table,

guide rollers for the belt, and toggle arms having stationar pivots, a guide roller.

mounted to the ree ends of the arms, and

another of the guide rollers being located par 65 allel to the table top near the pivot of said arms, said belt being folded about said rollers and forming a bight adj acent-to the toggle arms, and a mandrel enfolded in said bight.

3. A tube making machine having a belt, a table across which the belt travels, a plurality of guide rollers supported adjacent said table and around which the belt is carried, a squeezing roller mounted above the table in position such that the belt may be arranged to form a bight between the squeezing roller and the table, and a mandrel arranged within the bight, said squeezing roller being movable bodily to and from the table and means for tensioning the belt, whereby to squeeze the mandrel within the bight.

4. A machine of the class described, having a reacting roller, a plurality of guide rollers, an endless.belt passing around said guide rollers, and a mandrel arrangeable within a bight of the belt, said reacting roller movably engaging said belt adjacent said bight, to tension the belt about the mandrel,

one of the guide rollers being manually controlled for tightening and loosening the belt.

5. A tube making machine having an endless belt, a support for said belt comprising a stationary member and a plurality of guide rollers around which the belt passes, a mandrel, arrangeable in a bight of the belt adjacent said stationary member and a squeez= ing roller adapted to contact the opposite side of the belt from the side contacted by the mandrel, said squeezing roller being arranged parallel to the stationary member and movable relatively to it having an axis parallel to the stationary member to engage and squeeze the belt about the mandrel when the squeezing roller is movedtoward the stationary member, one of the guide rollers being manually controlled for tightening and loosening the belt.

6. A tube making machine having an endless belt, a support for said belt comprising a stationary member and a plurality of guide rollers around which the belt asses, a mandrel, arrangeable in a ,bi ht o the belt adjacent said stationary mem er, a squeezing roller adapted to contact the opposite side of the belt from the side contacted by the mandrel, said squeezing roller being arranged parallel to the stationary member and supported on pivoted toggle arms to swing toward and froni'the table to vary the pressure of the belt upon the mandrel, one of the guide rollers being manually controlled for tightening and loosening the belt.

7. A tube making machine having a table, an endless belt passing along the surface of the table for supporting the work a mandrel enfoldable within the belt, guide rollers for the belt, a pair of toggle arms for supporting one of the rollers, said arms having pivots fixed relatively to the table and so located that the last mentioned roller may be swung from a position farther from the table top than the diameter of the mandrel to another position closer to the table top than the diameter of the mandrel to engage the belt adjacent the mandrel andcause the belt to contract upon the mandrel in proportion as the last mentioned roller approaches the table top, and an additional guide roller manually movable parallel to its axis for still further controllingthe tension on the belt.

8. A tube making machine having a table, an endless belt passing along the surface of the table for supporting the work, a mandrel enfoldable within the belt, guide rollers .for the belt, a pair of toggle arms for supporting one of the rollers, said arms having pivots fixed relatively to the table and so located that the last mentioned roller may be swung from a position farther from the table top than the diameter of the mandrel to another position closer to the table top than the diameter of the mandrel to engage the belt adjacent the mandrel and cause the belt to contract upon the mandrel in proportion as the last mentioned roller approaches the table top, one of the guide rollers being mounted on said arms near their supporting pivots, and an additional guide roller manually movable parallel to its axis for still further controlling the tension on the belt.

9. A tube making machine havin a table, a mandrel, an endless belt supporte in part by the table and adapted to enfold the mandrel, uide rollers for the belt, and tog le arms aving stationary pivots, one of t he guide rollers being mounted at the free end of the to gle arms parallel to the table top, and another of the guide rollers being located parallel to the table top near the pivot of said arms, another of the guide rollers being mounted in a movable sub-frame manually controllable whereby the belt may be losened while the mandrel is being enfolded.

10. A machine of the class described havin a table, a reacting roller pivoted above said table to swing thereover, apluralit of guide rollers, a belt carried. by said ro lers over said table, a mandrel of a size sufficient by said rollers and supported partially on said table and a mandrel arrangeable wlthin a bight of the belt, a toggle arm carrying a roller in position to engage said belt adjacent said bi ht and means for tensioning the belt.

13. n a machine of the class described having a table, a plurality of guide rollers supported adjacent the ta lo, a. belt carried by said rollers and supported partially on said table and a mandrel arrangeable within a bight in the belt, reacting means pivoted to swing above said table, being arranged to swing away from the table to allow the mandrel to pass beneath in one direction into the bight and a stop preventing said reacting means from swinging away from the table in the opposite direction and means for tensioning the belt.

14. In a machine of the class described the combination of a table, a belt supported on said table, reacting means pivoted to swing in a limited path above said table, said belt assing around said reacting means and orming a bight between said reacting means and said table, a mandrel arrangeable in said bight, being movable along said table above said belt and beneath said reacting means,

said reactin means bein arranged to swing artly to allow the man rel to pass into the Eight, and means for tensioning the belt. 15. A tube making machine havin a table, a belt supported in part by the tab e, shiftable reactive means mounted above said table and shiftable away from the table, said belt being arranged around said reactive means to form a bight between the table and said means, a mandrel arrangeable within said bight, and means for tensionin said belt to draw the same tightly aronn said mandrel to 'force same against said reactive means. r

In witness whereof, Ihave hereunto subscriben my name.

LOUIS T. FREDERICK.

to engage between said support and said rebight of the belt, a roller plvoted to swing above said table and arranged to squeeze the belt against the table and around said mandrel and means for tensioning the belt.

12. In a machine of the class described having a table, a pluralit of guide rollers 

